1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to components utilized in high pressure fluid apparatus, and more particularly, to a swivel flow divider and a fluid jet bit for use in, for example, a portable rotary rock drill.
2. Description of the prior art.
High pressure fluid has been increasingly employed in industry for a myriad of uses, such as, inter alia, cleaning, cutting and drilling, which require transporting the fluid from stationary to rotary media. To handle high pressures, e.g. 10,000 psi to 20,000 psi, seals have been developed to substantially prevent fluid leakage in equipment.
However, these seals are conventionally fabricated from materials, such as, teflon or graphite, which have a relatively short useful life when subjected to high fluid pressures. In addition, these seals have a relatively complex construction, and thus, are expensive to manufacture. As the relative complex prior art high pressure equipment has numerous interrelated and complex component parts, more maintenance is required, and the removal and repair of each part is more complex.
Conventionally, pneumatic air-leg drills which utilize both rotary and percusive cutting action have been employed to drill relatively small diameter holes, for example, roof bolt holes, shot holes and exploratory holes, in soft to hard rock formations. One disadvantage of pneumatic air-leg drills is the weight thereof, e.g. 100 pounds, and, thus, the difficulty encountered in manually transporting and manipulating the drill and in "collaring" or starting a drill hole. The resultant holes are generally irregular, due to the percussive action of the drill and the difficulty encountered in manually maintaining drill alignment. Also, an extremely high level of noise is generated by an air-leg drill, and as such, health and safety hazards are created for drilling personnel. Conventional rock bits equipped with carbide inserts are utilized with pneumatic air-leg drills. Such conventional rock bits often become immovable in a drill hole due to, inter alia, drill cuttings or sloughing of drill hole walls, and the removal thereof is not only time consuming, but also poses a safety hazard.
Thus, a need exists for high pressure fluid apparatus utilized to transfer high pressure fluid from a stationary to a rotary medium, especially bearing(s) and seal(s), which is relatively simple in construction. More particularly, as need exists for a portable rotary rock drill utilized to drill relatively small diameter holes which is light weight and therefore, easily manipulated, which utilizes a unitary bearing and seal so as to divide fluid flow for drilling or flushing purposes and which utilizes a fluid jet bit to augment the rotary drilling action thereof.